São Bento Station in a Tiled Watercolor of Porto
2022-12-31
This was PoSK’s year-end meetup at São Bento Station. Lots of people, in one of Porto’s most iconic spots, and my most tiled watercolor yet.
At the end of last year, @posk_porto_urbansketchers held their traditional year-end gathering at São Bento Station, here in Porto. This meetup always happens on the last Saturday of the year, right in the heart of the city.
São Bento Station is known for its azulejo panels, depicting scenes from Portuguese history. And also for the huge arches covering the main hall. I tried to capture a bit of that grandeur in this watercolor, with the clock right in the middle. The azulejos took center stage between the columns, somewhere between the blue and the gold of the sketchbook’s old paper.
These gatherings are how the group closes out its year of meetups. Sharing everyone’s drawings, catching up with friends, reconnecting with some people who hadn’t shown up in a while. And also taking stock of the year’s meetups.
This was my first year in the group, and my first year in Porto. A lot changed, a new country, a new city, new goals for the future. But my drive to draw never changed, it stayed just as strong as always.
Now I’ve finally built the habit I always wanted, going out on the street to draw the city, its familiar and unfamiliar corners, its buildings going up and coming down. It was a really good year, and closing that cycle surrounded by the group, at São Bento Station, felt exactly right.